yah but wont that reality make him see the light and if he wants to go anywhere???...he will have to change his position? a second rounder and then pay him 8 mil....whos gonna do that?? its just too expensive...

The problem is the CBA. Not to state the obvious but Mankins and unfortunately the Pats are in a bad situation. Other then the Jets and Saints who else has broken the bank this year for an o-linemen of any kind. The Saints are understandable as Evans was an integral part of there super bowl win and probably the best young o-linemen in the game. The Jets made absolutely no sense whatsoever in signing the brick to one of the largest contracts in o-linemen history. With that said who can really afford to not only spend 8/mil a year on this guy but alkso spend a high draft pick on him before they know what the structure will be next year?

Also Russ I think we have cut his salary down like the chargers did with V Jacks. Which in my mind means no way does this guy play this year until week 10. Maybe one of you guys know the details better, for example could he still sign a 1 year tender and play this year or is it too late for that? I think he could but it doesn't look realistic. All the more reason I say we take what we can get for him(within reason) and move on with the guys who want to be here.

Maybe one of you guys know the details better, for example could he still sign a 1 year tender and play this year or is it too late for that?Posted by TrueChamp

Yes if he doesn't show up till week 10 this year will not count towards free agency. I hope we can work things out with him maybe give me little bit more guarenteed money I want brady to last till 40, he already takes too many hits.

Because anything less then a 1st rounder is bad value. He is a former 1st round pick in the prime of his career so yea I expect a 1st rounder for him or no trade and I think the Pats would expect that as well.Posted by MVPkilla4life

I disagree, i think a 2nd rd pick for a guy with 5 years of wear and tear and somewhere near 90 games started as well as the current CBA situation is good value....if we can get it. I hope for better but don't see how it is possible.

"If Mankins thinks he can sit until Week 10 and be handed his job back, he's sorely mistaken. He does that, and he's sitting for 17 weeks+, not just 10."

Russ, If Mankins holds out that long there is no way he wants to play and risk an injury when he gets back. He will probably fake something or go half assed or create a situation to be benched and or isolated from the team.

"Yes if he doesn't show up till week 10 this year will not count towards free agency"

akius, Week 10 is the date a player has to show up by in order to get credited with a full year of service as per the CBA. So he would become a Free Agent next year if he shows up by week 10.

The cold war between the Patriots and left guard Logan Mankins just got mighty steamy, with Mankins telling ESPN.com he wants to be traded.

Mankins has been the team's best offensive lineman for several years, but he seems to be at wit's end over his contract dispute. The 2005 first-round draft pick is a restricted free agent, and he has until Monday night to sign his $3.26 million tender. However, Mankins told ESPN.com there is "no way" he would sign it. He also said he wouldn’t report to the team's mandatory minicamp this week.

"At this point, I'm pretty frustrated, from everything that's happened and the way negotiations have gone," Mankins told ESPN.com. "I want to be traded. I don’t need to be here anymore."

Those are fighting words.

This figured to be the most important 24-hour stretch of the Mankins situation, as curiosity loomed regarding the tender and his attendance at camp. Obviously, the latest developments ended that portion of speculation and kicked things up a few notches.

Mankins' agent, Frank Bauer, said the Patriots' final contract offer was "20 percent lower than Jahri Evans' deal with the Saints." Evans recently signed a $56.7 million, seven-year deal, and it was presumed to be a measuring stick in Mankins' negotiations.

The Boston Globe reported the Patriots offered Mankins a five-year deal worth approximately $7 million per year. If this is the case, Mankins doesn’t have a whole lot of ground to stand on because that’s a pretty nice chunk of change. In fact, it would make him one of the five highest-paid guards in the NFL, and if the Patriots don’t want to increase such a contract offer after getting publicly called out by Mankins, it's hard to blame them.

The question now is: Where do the Patriots go from here? Losing Mankins would be a crushing blow, and they've clearly pushed the business model too far in this situation. Sure, money can cure a lot of things, but it doesn’t appear as though it can turn this beef into a prime cut of steak.

In a way, they're damned if they do and damned if they don’t. If the Patriots up the ante and try to pay the man, they'll break the hard-line precedent they've tried to establish over the last decade -- one in which has drawn plenty of criticism from the players who have moved on from New England. But if the Patriots trade Mankins, they're still allowing the player to dictate his terms, and that’s something else the Patriots have tried to avoid in the past.

Yet, the 28-year-old is in the prime of his career and is one of the best guards in the game. He's got to hold considerable value on the trading market, and the Patriots could parlay him into other assets -- perhaps a defensive playmaker, a marquee running back or a couple of quality draft picks.

Surely, the Patriots could flex their muscle and let him hang out in football purgatory. They still hold the power when it comes to Mankins' future, so he'll have to play at some point in 2010 if he doesn’t want to lose an NFL year of service and do this dance again next offseason. Maybe, over time and some group therapy, things will work themselves out. Or, maybe it will only increase Mankins' disdain for the business side of the game.

At this point, because of his value, it really might be in the Patriots' best interests to explore a trade. This is a team that has some holes, and this could give them an opportunity to address some of those needs. By letting Mankins sit out, they'd only create more question marks on the field going forward

Because Mankins has been absent from Gillette Stadium throughout the offseason, the Patriots have been able to work out some other players at the guard position. Stephen Neal is the incumbent starter on the right side, but Dan Connolly has gotten plenty of reps with the first-team offense. Right tackle Nick Kaczur has also been taking plenty of practice reps at guard due to the emergence of Sebastian Vollmer, who figures to start at right tackle in 2010. New England also drafted Ted Larsen in April, and they're trying to convert the former North Carolina State center into a guard.

In that sense, the Patriots aren’t completely hamstrung by Mankins' demands. In a ideal world, the front office wouldn’t have played hardball, would have brought some real money to the negotiating table and made Mankins a happy man after five great years of service.

Since that strategy blew up in their faces, the Patriots only have two logical options: Pay him or trade him -- and Mankins made it sound like he doesn’t want Robert Kraft's signature on his checks anymore.

In that sense, the Patriots aren’t completely hamstrung by Mankins' demands. In a ideal world, the front office wouldn’t have played hardball, would have brought some real money to the negotiating table and made Mankins a happy man after five great years of service.

REALLY... so 35 Million is not REAL MONEY?...for those of you that are going to say we do not know what he has been offered, THINK AGAIN..... Read the posted article... HIS AGENT SAID....

Mankins' agent, Frank Bauer, said the Patriots' final contract offer was "20 percent lower than Jahri Evans' deal with the Saints." Evans recently signed a $56.7 million, seven-year deal, and it was presumed to be a measuring stick in Mankins' negotiations

56.7 X .80= 45.36 Million... even if we go with the 5 yr vs the 7 yr.. and take that into acct. that puts him somewhere around 33 million for the 5 years ..... SO they should bring REAL money to the table?...Give me a break....

What happens if Mankins shows up in week 10 not in shape and has to be put on the unable to play list?Does his year still count, just because he showed up?